Expansion-joint for concrete structures.



J. P. LE BARON. EXPANSION JOINT FOR CONCRETE STRUCTURES. APPLICATIONFILED JULY 1o, 191s.

1.090,1 58. Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

Inventor Witnessesl Attorneys UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

-J'OHN FRANCIS LE BARON, OF CHARBON, OHIO.

EXPANSION-JOINTFOR CONCRETE STRUCTURES.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN FRANCIS L1 BARON, acitizen of the United States, residing at Chardon, in the county ofGeauga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Expansion Jointfor Concrete Structures, of which the following is a specification.

` The device forming the subject matter of this application is adaptedto be employed for facilitating the expansion and contrac- I which willappear as the description pro-` ceeds, the invention resides in thecombination and arrangement of parts and in the details of constructionhereinafter describedand claimed, it being understood that changes inthe precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed canI be madewithin thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

In the'drawing: Figure 1 shows the inventionin transverse section, theparts being positioned as thev will appear when set in the winter time,orr at a maximum contraction; Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating theparts as they will appear set in the summer time or under a considerabledegree of expansion; Fig. 3 is an elevation of the expansion tieemployed in connection with the structure shown in Figs. l and 2; Fig. 4is a sectional detail showing a modified form of joint closure.

By way of explanation it may be stated that, as commonly known, concreteand cement expand and contract, due to temperature changes, in about theSame ratio as iron. This expansive and contractile action4 of concreteforms cracks in Walls andy other structures built of that material, andas a. consequence-it has been the custom to leave open joints in suchwalls, about every forty feet. These open joints are objectionable inthat they weaken the wall, and render what j Specification of LettersPatent,

Application led July 19, 1913. Serial No. 780,048.

i l l y l l Patented Mar. 17, 1914;.

otherwise would be a continuous structure, a succession of practicallyindependent and separate' elements. In addition to weakening the wall,the spaces at the jointsabove referred to serve as places of filthaccumulation, and in the joints, the seeds of plants, trees and thelike, lodge and germinate, the roots of lthe vegetation penetrating thestructure and frequently disrupting the same. Tn the case of building,these open joints form objectionable openings in the wall, admittingwind and rain, which openings must be closed. Further, the joints abovereferred to permit water to enter, which, freezing in the winter season,forces the wall apart. Even in a monolithic wall, cracks will appear andthese cracks must be closed, notably in the case of tanks and conduits.

The invention herein disclosed may be employed upon piers, abutments andconcrete structures of all sorts. For convenience in description, itwill be presupposed that the present structure is embodied in a wall,and the term wall will be used hereinafter without prejudice, to avoidunnecessary repetitions. y

I n the accompanying drawings there is shown a wall 1 comprising parts2, fashioned from concrete or cement. The parts 2 are spaced apart asindicated at 3.

Pairs of reinforcing elements 4 are shown, the same preferably beingmetal bars of any desired cross section. To the outer faces of thereinforcing elements 4, expansion members 5 are applied, the expansionmembers being held in place by bolts 6 or in any other suitable manner.The expansion members 5 which may be fashioned from galvanized sheetiron, lead, copper, zinc or any other suitable material are folded orbulged laterally, as indicated at 8. The reinforcing elements it areembedded in the parts 2 of the wall 1 and the folded or expansibleportionsl 8 of the members 5 are disposed in the space 3 between theparts 2. If desired, the elements 5 and 4 may carry anchor rods 7projecting laterally into the constituent parts 2 of the wall.

lVhen the wall or other structure is erected in cold weather, the partsare positioned as shown in Fig. 1. the folded portions 8 of the members5 being expanded to a con; siderable degree. As the temperature rises,and the space 3 closes up due to an expansion of the parts 2, and thefolded portions Y, acute angles as shown in Fig. 2. lt is ob i space 8of thev expansion members 5 assume more vious that if the wall or otherstructure is built injwarm weather, the parts wlll be set as showninFig'. 2, and, thereafter, in warm weathery will contract into thepositions shown in Fig. l.

Recalling/(that the space 3 between the. parts 2 is to be closed underall temperature conditions, a cap or joint closure 9 isprovided, thesame comprising a concrete or cement body 10 in which a reinforcement 11is located. The, cap 9 is provided with an offset v12 received, and, ifdesired, anchored, in a recess 14 of the parts-2, the cap or jointclosure being overlapped slidably upon the outer face of thefother parts2. Ubviously, no matter howl much the structure may expand or contract,lthe closure 9 will exercise its function, withoutsubjecting either theclosure or the wall to stress. If desired, the joint closure 20 may befashioned as indicated at 15 in- Fig. 4 and be secured by -bolts 16` orotherwise to one of the parts 2.

'A wall or'other concrete structure,l fashioned as above described willexpand and contract readily under temperature changes, but, at'the sametime, will be perfectly water tight, provided that a; continuous sheetlnetal expansion joint extends from the top of the structure to thebottom thereof.

It, is obvious that the folded portion 8 of the expansion member 5 maybe fashioned in any desired manner,'so long as there is pruiided,at thepoint indicated, sutlicient material to afford the necessary expansionand contraction. f

In'practice, the extent ofthe space 3 between the parts 2 may bedetermined readily by the engineer in charge, d ata derived frommeteorological records, and coefficients Yof expansion, being t-heconstants in equation.

rllhe computations, however, although not of a complicated nature,should be carefully and intelligently made, in order A that the.

fold indicated at 8 may not be too short, upon the one hand, and inorder that the 3 need not be unnecessarily large upon the other hand. lfthe wall is built in cold Leconte weather, the joints should be set wellopen, whereas, if. the wall is built in warm weather, the space may bedecreased accordingly.

lt is obvious that the joint structure here inbefore described, althoughset' forth in connection with'walls, is not limited to use therein, andit is to be understoodthat the invention may be used in any partwhatsoever of any structure wherein the device may beof use.

rlhe number of expansion members 5 used at any one joint, maybe'decreased or increased within any-proper limits, and it is obviousthat the invention may be embodied in the for1n` of a continuous sheetmetal eX- pansionljcint extended from the top of the wall to the bottomthereof.; likewise the invention may take the form of a plurality ofseparated, vertically spacedsections.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is' l. ln a device.of the class described, a pair of concrete members separated at theirends;

a reinforcing element embedded in each of the concrete members; plateslocated upon opposite sides of the reinforcing .elements and separatedthereby, the plates being termisnally embedded in the concrete membersand having flexed portions located between -the ends of the concretemembers and constituting closures for the spaces dened by thereinforcing elements and the plates.

2. ln a device of, the' class described,

spaced concrete members; bars embedded in the concrete members; platesapplied totheopposite faces o-f the bars, the plates having Y opposedfolded portions lying between the concretey members; securing deviceuniting the plates with the bars; and pins inserted through. the plates,between the bars, yand terminally embedded -in the concrete members. i

In vtestimony that I claim the foregoing as -my own, have hereto afxedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses. JOHNFRANCS LE BARUN.

Witnesses :y e y GEO. R. HARRISON, MAY A. Harrison

